Online usability is a critical part of any web site. Because, after all, what is the point of making a site that is hard for people to use?

Online Usability revolves around an organic process and fusion of Analytical Research, Usability Use Case testing, Information Architecture, Best Practice Development, and Functional Design. After the web site is complete in order to maximize how effective your site is performing, every bit of data needs to be put into a meaningful context in order to meet User needs.

Some trends that I have noticed that are quite interesting in terms of Online Usability:

• Use of highly contrasting text color with background color.
• Right hand navigation
• Large buttons
• Well crafted Icons
• Search features and site maps on large sites

Data + Research + Architecture + Design = Usability

Online Marketing plays a vital role in the promotion of a web site and takes many forms such as; AdWords, Media Buys, Banner Ads, Affiliates, Vertical Partnerships, Link Sharing, Viral Video, Word of Mouth, and others.

Best Online Marketing strategy's take a good look at the goals and user segment the company is trying to achieve. What was successful for one company, might not work out as well for you. This is the reason that in order to deploy a successful Online Marketing campaign, you need you have clearly defined goals combined with a logic, data backed strategy.

I have noticed that all too often the research that needs to be done is overlooked because that is usually the most difficult part. It is also not a stage that produces visual progress. None the less, the data collected before an Online Marketing Strategy is deployed will show some real insight into the best approach to reach who you want to which translates to ROI.


Think Smarter not harder.

Web Analytics is diverse and quickly maturing, although still in its infancy.

From its early time as being data in a log, it has flowered into many different streams of valuable data about ones visitors and their interactions on a website.

The first step in a qualitative analysis is setting up goals for the website, i.e. The site should sell Widgets and the site should be sticky so we can monitize Ad sales, ect. After you have an overall goal for the website, you can come up with Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Once you have set up your KPI, you need to log the data associated with them and put them into a meaningful context.

Once the data is put into a user centric context comes the creative part of modifying the site to increase it's performance.

Due to the organic nature of the internet, and the changing needs of the user; Analytics is the pulse to any website.

Well, If I truly knew I would be a millionaire.
I am currently far from being a millionaire at this point, but from seeing and understanding the orgins of the online space, I have a pretty good feeling about the nature of the internet.
For instance, I have noticed and identified some cycles that I see the internet constantly going through aside from it's "Boom then Bust" nature. I have noticed a pattern from General Interest (getting popular due to the "WOW" factor) morphing into Niche.

Exibit A: youtube (general) and offshoot niche's like godtube.com and fora.tv

Content Aggregation always seems to be a successful winner. From News to Podcast aggregation. If you can bring similar types of content to one area and increase the convience factor for online users, your on the right track.

Providing good channels of communication for a body of common societal interests, especially if it is in conjunction with highly effective technology.
I can discuss this for days, but must digress at the moment in the interest of time.

This is another large subject.

But this is the process cycle, with out explaining best code practice; separation of Content, Style, and Behavior; Advertising/Marketing Cycles; Key word analysis; SEO; Modular code Development (OOP); Code Cycles (R.A.D. vs E.D.); SVN; and others.

But here is a typical high level process cycle:

Information Architecture fascinates me. I am always looking at ways that information can be displayed more efficiently. The challenge though is to get people to understand how truly important it is.

I find that typically people in the world of the online web aren't aware of the importance of selecting a Taxonomy, being consistent, choosing the correct navigational systems, and organizing information that facilitates its opportunity to be found.

People who are unaware of the vast amounts of information and the fickleness of internet users, often disregard the need for Information Architecture.

Information Architecture 101:

• Learn fundamental types of online finding:
  Known Item Searching, Exploratory Seeking, and Exhaustive Research.
  
  
• Choose a Navigation System that is conducive to helping your specific audience find their specific content.
  i.e. Global Navigation, Subnavigation, Contextual Navigation
  
  
• Grouping common types of content together in a way that works with your users finding competency.
  
  
• There generally is not a 'one size fits all' solution, every solution needs to be taylored to fit the users.

Technology is drastically shifting the way that our society 'Plays'. We are moving from Physical based playing to more of an Interactive playing format. From toys like Barbie to Webkins.

So the biggest question that comes to my mind is, what kind of an impact will that have on the children of tomorrow? The first impact that I see is in the way that they communicate with each other in terms of human interaction. Instead of face to face interaction the interaction is shifting towards Text Messages, Emails, Social Networks, and Social 3D Environments.

Because of this, would it be wrong to extrapolate that computer language will impact every day language? After 'WOOT' was named Websters word of the year, and what does that say for words like 'LOL' or 'OMG' and the multitude of others?

How would interaction to people through computers, change the behaviors of our face to face interaction? Effects of Millennial play patterns, will be an interesting thing to keep an eye on.

A second question I ask is, How will this effect generations of Interactive Game Players? Will the idea of the Head Football Captain, be replaced by the Top Programmer in terms of mate suitability? Will our daily diets and brains change to hold more information or even process more data faster?

Even though the later assumption is further in the future, or more far fetched. I think that is an important thing to be aware of because the ones who notice the trends can have the biggest impact on them, for the good or bad.

I came across an interesting concept by Dick Hardt, that is developed from the idea of an online identity. All internet users leave digital footprints, weather its a social online reputation, or buying patterns, or research patterns.

So for instance, say you have really good Ebay reputation and start selling on Craigslist. How could the Craigslist users trust you the same way as the Ebay users? Or imagine a piece of software that had your online registration data on file and registered you with sites; with out you having to fill out the registration forms? Personally for me registering with a site is a barrier to entry that requires a really good reason to go through the process. With the filling in of fields, activation links, captcha, credit card information, ect. I see how useful it would be to have an online identity to take care of forms, and inform other sites of your good standing.

However I am also aware of the other side of that coin, which is malicious manipulation. What if someone hacked into your online identity? How could you prove that you were not the perpetrator?

I do think that it is going to be inevitable. I see it's bright future in collection common data about people to make web processing way more efficient, but it is also going to be pushing the line on security. It also brings up the issue of who stores this data. Is my data and online identity in the hands of the government? a corporation? Jon in his mothers basement? If the logistics of the identity can be dealt with and the security can be nailed down then I see the power of the online identity concept doing well. I guess that is something to be on the look out for.